Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) affects many people around the world. Sometimes it is correlated with the presence, or after eradication, of H. pylori bacteria. Other times it is correlated with bouts of constipation. Researchers have also identified different mixtures of bacteria, more gram-negative, correlated with people with and without GERD, that colonize just above the stomach's sphincter valve that connects to the esophagus (see an article entitled “Inflammation and intestinal metaplasia of the distal esophagus are associated with alterations in the microbiome” by Yang et al in Gastroenterology, 2009 August; 137(2):588-97 and an article entitled “Molecular Pathways: Pathogenesis and Clinical Implications of Microbiome Alteration in Esophagitis and Barrett Esophagus” by Yang et al in Clinical Cancer Research, 2012 February; 18(8) 2138-44). GERD has long term consequences such as pain and inflammation that can cause esophageal cancer. Therefore, mitigating GERD can substantially improve a person's quality of life and lifespan.
Present treatments for GERD have primarily included proton-pump inhibitor drugs that reduce the strength of the secretion of stomach acid. Such drugs are prescribed because they increase the pH in the esophagus and reduce the pain and inflammation in the esophagus. Examples of such drugs are Omeprazol, Lansoprazole, Pantoprazole, Rabeprazole, and Ilaprazole. A problem with these approaches is that, since certain types of GERD are caused by a neurological disorder, the aforementioned drugs do not address the root cause of the problem, namely, a microbial agent or agents acting on the neuro-muscular system.